Colonialism's Afterlife & Upcyling Fashion, Pt. 1

Black Material Geographies

How much has the world changed since the days when colonialism ruled the planet? There have been advances toward achieving global equality among the once-colonized nations; however, many of the structures and customs that characterized colonialism remain. There is an opportunity for every industry to transform the systems that underpin our lives. This week we look at colonialism's afterlife and delve deeper into the topic, exploring its colonial origins and its afterlives in the contemporary fashion industry. Fashion is one of the largest polluting industries on our planet and creates vast amounts of textile waste, which usually ends up in countries in tropical Africa and the Caribbean, but there are opportunities for transformation. It will take a variety of solutions to solve this issue. One way designers are addressing the issue of textile waste and fashion pollution in countries outside of the West is by reusing, also known as upcycling fashion.

Black Material Geographies is part of Whetstone Radio Collective. Learn more about Black Material Geographies here.

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And transcript here.